The Green Bay Packers‘ offensive line was among the least effective in the NFL in Week 1, and things just got a whole lot worse.
Right tackle Zach Bako-Bewele, formerly Zach Tom, is far and away the team’s best offensive lineman. So it was more that a little unfortunate to watch Bako-Bawele’s teammates gather around to wish him well as Packers’ doctors carted the RT off the field agains the New York Jets on Sunday, September 20 with what appears to be a major injury to his right leg.
“Zach Bako-Bewele carted off the field, wearing a cast on his right leg,” Ryan Wood of USA Today captioned a video of the offensive lineman’s first-quarter exit.
Wide receiver Jayden Reed also left the field in the first quarter with what appeared to be a serious injury of his own.
“Entire #Packers sideline onto the field surrounding Jayden Reed as he’s placed on the stretcher, cart waiting,” Wood reported via X earlier in the game. “He was moving his right leg, a good sign.”
Vikings Defense Lit Up Already Injured Packers Offensive Line in Week 1
From a sheer football perspective, the Bako-Bewele injury is worse for the Packers than the injury to Reed after both players missed considerable time last season with health issues — Bako-Bewele sat out five games, while Reed missed 10 contests.
The reason is the struggles Green Bay’s offensive line was already facing due to injuries and a lack of quality interior play, specifically at the offensive guard positions.
The Packers surrendered 15 quarterback hits and four sacks that led directly to two turnovers against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1. And it was the unit’s inability to handle an onslaught of blitz packages from defensive coordinator Brian Flores that served as the clear catalyst for a collapse that saw the Packers surrender a 12-point lead with 20 minutes to play and lose the game by 17 points.
Packers Signed Offensive Guard Cordell Volson to Practice Squad This Week
Packers starting offensive guard Aaron Banks returned from knee tendonitis in Week 2 after sitting out the season opener, though it is unlikely he is 100 percent.
The Packers had no choice but to start Jacob Monk at right guard again versus the Jets, despite his struggles last Sunday, given the team’s lack of alternative options.
Green Bay added former Cincinnati Bengals starting guard Cordell Volson to the practice squad this week, and he is likely to have some sort of role, perhaps a significant one, at some point soon and moving forward this season.
However, losing Bako-Bewele is a blow from which it may be difficult to impossible for the Packers’ O-line to recover.
Packers’ Zach Bako-Bewele Carted Off in Green Bay’s 2nd Scary Injury of Game